The New Jersey State Opera returns to the grand stage in September with a weekend of festivities.

The New Jersey State Opera returns to the grand stage in September with a weekend of festivities in Ocean Grove.

In 2006, the Opera’s founder and artistic director, Alfredo Silipigni, died suddenly, leaving the company anchorless. But the company is back with a new music director, Jason Tramm, who studied under Silipigni.

Opening weekend will be September 12 through 14 at Ocean Grove’s Great Auditorium, above. “Tramm intends to build on the legacy of the past by bringing the finest artists in the world to New Jersey,” gushes managing director Laura Zupa D’Avella. “To know that New Jersey residents don’t have to cross the river to experience world-class art is very powerful.”

The highlight of the festivities, the Grand Opera concert, will be headlined by tenor Vladimir Galouzine, who recently starred in the Metropolitan Opera’s The Gambler. For Tramm, the rebirth of the company is “a dream come true.” He hopes the Great Auditorium will be the Opera’s summer residence, with NJPAC in Newark remaining its permanent home.

The opening weekend will include an architectural walking tour through historic Ocean Grove, following the steps of the opera greats who summered and sang there. The New Jersey State Opera has included such greats as Beverly Sills, Roberta Peters, Richard Tucker, and Placido Domingo.